Meridian-transfer apparatus.



No. 812,587. PATENTBD FEB. 13, 1906.

G. 0. MQPARLANE. MERIDIAN TRANSFER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION TILED 00T.17.1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR a a 5M- I W ATTORNEY Ow Rat/M. 6 b @RM PATENTED PEB.13, 1906.

G. G. MQFARLANE. MERIDIAN TRANSFER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.17.1903- 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

1 l lllllllmlnluu WITNESSES:

M. of. 4.2%.

J. Q. ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

GEORGE c. MOFARLANE, or BAY crrY, MICHIGAN.

MERIDIAN-TRANSFER APPARATUSE Specification of Letters Patent";

Patented. Feb. 13, 1906.

Application filed oaubeflv, 1903. Serial No.17'7,504.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE O. MCFABLANE,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at Bay Gity, in the county of Bay and State of Molligan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Meridian-Transfer Appa ,ridian observations de novo.

The object of the invention is to providea'n instrument which can be set in exact arallelism with a given meridian and whic by its mechanical arrangement is adapted to remain for a considerable time parallel with such meridian, notwithstanding the fact that the instrument maydurin this time be moved from place to place an be freely carried about by the o erator.

While I sha-l illustrate and describe only one application of the mechanical principle in-- volve namely, its adaptation to a devlce for establishing meridian-lines in underground mine-work-yet it is evident that the same principle and the aquivalents of this device may be employed in different arts or, whereever it is desired to keep an object, such as a telesco e or other device, in'a vertical plane paralle with the plane of its original osition during a considerable length of time, although the instrument as a whole may be freely moved from one place to another during that time.

In practicing my invention I avail myself of the'fact that the axis .of rotation of arapidly-rotating wheel or disk has by reason of its inertia a strong tendency to remain in any plane of rotation in which it is-set and that considerable force must .be exerted upon the ia'n'that"is, if it be axis of such rotating wheel in order to deflect' it from its plane ofrotation. If such a wheel is mounted in a yoke'or frame so that the wheel shall revolve in a given plane and if any suitable instrument, such as atelescope, is also mounted on the frame, then if the telescope b'e'sig'h ted at right angles to the meridsightedalong a due east a device for transferrin the specification and claims of this and west lineconsiderable force'must be exerted upon it to deflect its pivotal axis from the meridian, because of the tendency of the revolvingwheel to keep its original plane of rotation. If now the-yoke (carrying the telescope and the wheel) be mounted upon pivots, so that it can swing freely about a vertical axis to sweep the telescope through a horizontal lane, avoiding contact of the yoke with all external objects, all forces that might deflect the telescope while the wheel is revolving are eliminated, exce t the wind and friction on the ivots. nclosing the yoke, telescope, and w eels in a suitable cover eliminates the wind deflection, and mounting the yokeivots on jeweledbearings almost entirely e iminates any friction that might tend to deflect'the telescope andrevolving wheel or disk. To more effectually nullify the friction on the pivots, means is provided for oscillating. the jeweled bearings, giving them a rapid rotary movement first in one direction and then in another.

Having explained the general features of the invention, I will now describe the various constructions embodied in its application to meridian observations on the surface of t e earth to the bottom of a mine-shaft or other place in which it is impossible to make direct meridian observations.

- The device consists in the parts, their combinations, mode of operation, as set forth in tion, and the equivalents thereof.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a front elevation of the instrument with the wind-shield removed. Fig. 2.

applicais a sectional view taken on the line w m of 5 Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlargedplan view of the device for oscillating the lower pivot-bearing. Fig. 4 isa side elevation, on an enlarged scale, showing the gear mechanism to overcome the tendency to revolve the telescope when the outer frame is turned about its vertical axis. Fig. 5 is a bottom'view of the same, and Fig. 6 is a top lan view of the arm and disk that oscillate t e pivot-bearing- The telescope 1 is mountedby means of suitable trunnions 1 in a yoke or frame 2 of any suitable form.

to insure proper inertia. In practice I prefer to use two d sks 3 3 side by side, as shown in ICC.

Upon the yoke 2 is also .mounted a rotary disk 3,'having a heavy rim -IIO - 55 .commonly used in watches, s

Fig. 1. The disks are carried by a spindle is an upwardly-projecting pivot 4, and similarly the frame 2 has at its bottom a downwardly-projecting pivot 5. Upon the ex- I tremitles of these two pivots 4 and the weight of the yoke, telescope, and wheels or disks is supported and held vertcial. An outer frame 6 of metal, preferably of the same general contour as that of the yoke 2, serves 1 5 to support the ends of the pivots 4 5, suitable bearings 4* and 5 being provided in the frame 6 for the purpose. A strap-clamp 7, of any suitable construction, carried by the frame 6, surrounds the pivot 5 and by means of a set-screw 7 may be made to rigidly clamp the pivot 5 and prevent its rotation and that of the yoke 2 relatively to the frame 6. The operation of the device is, as indicated at the beginning of this specification-that z 5 is, if the disks 3 are revolved very rapidly by any suitable means, such as a cord wound around the shaft 3 and then rapidly unwound by pulling it, and if the telescope 1 is sighted at right angles to the meridian the.

inertia of the disks 3 tends to keep the pivotal axis of the telescope, which is at right angles to the line of sight, pointing in a direction parallel to that meridian, even though the outer frame 6 be moved from lace to place. 3 5 If the outer frame 6 is rotated a out its vertical axis, no effect is produced to deflect the ivotal axis of the telescope 1 out of its merid- 1an, except that due to friction or tenacity in the bearings 4 and 5", .unless the instrument is disturbed by the wind.

To prevent wind effects, I mount on the frame 6 a air .of inclosing shells 8 8*, which may be 0 thin metal and are preferably mounted on hinges as at 6*, so that they may swing out of the wag; while the instrument is being set and may t en be closed.

To overcome any possible tendency todefleet the telescope 1 when'the outer frame 6 is slowly turned about its vertical axis, as may sometimes occur while it is being carried from place to place, I have devised a form of bearing shown in Figs. 3 and 6, the essential feature of which is that the bearing 5*, which is preferably a jeweled hearing, such as is all oscillate about its axis, turning through part of a revolution in one direction and then turning through part of a revolution in the opposite direction, the revolutions taking place with considerable rapidit after the manner of the balance-wheel o a watch. It is evident that during the first movement say to the right-a sllght frictional twisting movement may be roduced in the pivot 5 tending to 6 5 deflect t e telescope from'the meridian; but

mounted in said inner frame, a pivot-support this tendency is exeedingly slight and has very little, if any, effect on account of the inertiaof the telescope, its yoke, and the revolving disks; but whatever tendency there is is immediately neutralized by the opposite 7o rotation of the pivot when it oscillates to the left, so that the pivot 5, and consequently the telescope 1, is undisturbed by the slow rotation of the frame 6. Any suitable form of apparatus may be used for imparting the 7 required oscillatory movement to the earings 5 and I do not desire to confine myself to any articular mechanism for that pur-- pose. prefer, however, to employ a sprlngoperated clock-train 9, as shown in Figs. 1, 4,- and 5, in which 9 is a revolving crank engaging a slot 9 in the bearing-plate 5". As the disk 9 revolves it imparts the required oscillatory movement to the bearing-plate 5 and to the bearing 5, carried by it. 8 5 v I prefer to mount the outer frame 6 in a U- shaped standard ,10, which has a base 11, adapted to be mounted on a tri 0d rovided with the usual horizontal circu ar p ate, levels, and leveling-screws. A ring or hook 12 is fixed to the top of the frame 6, whereby the instrument may be carried always in a vertical position. 1

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as'follows:

l 1. In a device of the class described a pivotally-mounted sighting device, and a revolving disk operating in conjunction with said sighting device, said disk being adapted by its inertia to preserve parallelism of the sight- 1 oo ing device the axes of the sighting device and of the disk being parallel.

- 2. The comblnation with a support, of a frame'privotally mounted on the support to rotate eely upon an axis normally perpendicular to the horizon, a sighting dev ce pivotally mounted in said frame, a rotatable disk also mounted in said frame, the disk;

, adapted by reason of its inertia to preserve the parallelism of the sighting device. 1'10 3. A frame revolubly mounted on vertical pivots only, a telescope carried by said frame and having its axisin a line intersected by the line of said pivots, and a disk revolubly mounted in said frame the axes of the disk and telescopebeing parallel.

4. The combination with an outer stationary frame, of an inner frame, a sighting device and a movable inertia member pivotally gzo directly connecting the inner and outer frames and permitting movement of the inner frame only in a vertical plane and means for locking the frames together against rel'ative movement.

5. The combination in a meridian trana ferring mechanism provided with a pivotallysupported member, of means for'counteractmg the, rotative tendency of the member,

comprising a movable bearing on which the 13 pivoted member is supported and means for v mparting oscillatory movement to the bear- 1n The combination in a device of the character set forth, of a pivoted member, rotary means carried by the member and tending to rotate the latter, a movable bearing in which the pivoted member is supported and 1 means for constantly and automatically im-' parting an oscillatory movement to the bear- 7. The combination in a device of the character set forth, with a pivoted member and movable means tending to rotate the member, of means for counteractingsaid tendency, comprising a movable bearing on which the member is pivotally supported, the bearing provided with a slot, an eccentric crank received in the slot, and means for imparting rotary movement to the crank.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\v GEORGE C. MCFARLANE; Witnesses:

W. I. OATHCART, A. A. EASTERLY. 

